Brittney Griner filed to have her marriage to fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson annulled last month, claiming that the union was based on “fraud and duress” and that Johnson pressured her into it. Griner also suspected that Johnson was cheating on her. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Griner says she discovered in April that Johnson had been texting with her ex-boyfriend. She says she never would have married Johnson if she suspected something was still going on between Johnson and the man.

Legal opinions vary widely on what the U.S. Supreme Court's mandate of nationwide same-sex marriage will mean for pastors and government officials authorized to perform weddings. Some legal experts say government officials charged with performing weddings could lose their jobs for refusing to marry gay couples. But others believe both ministers and government officials likely will have freedom not to perform same-sex marriages that violate their religious convictions. And some experts believe pastors who refuse to solemnize same-sex marriages could face government repercussions. The court's majority opinion, written by Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, states that "religions" and "those who adhere...

Hold off on the wedding gifts ... 'cause it seems Michael Sam and his fiance Vito Cammisano are DUNZO ... just 6 months after the couple got engaged. Sam's people and Vito's camp are being unusually tight lipped about the couple's official status -- but the signs are all over social media. Here are the clues ... Clue #1 -- Michael has REMOVED several affectionate photos of himself and Vito from Twitter and Instagram recently, including their famous engagement pic taken at St. Peter's Basilica. Clue #2 -- The couple hasn't been spotted together in almost 2 months ... even...

If you are a member of a Bible-believing church that considers homosexuality to be sin, last week's SCOTUS decision making gay marriage a federal right has to be disturbing. Soon, as they have with wedding bakers, florists and photographers, gays are likely to show up to be test cases asking to get married in your church. If you are a church elder, what is your response going to be when it is your church they want to marry in? There's a good chance your answer is going to be like this: "The Bible declares in Deuteronomy and Romans and elsewhere...

I've always been struck, even though I didn't always agree, with the fierceness with which the Judge presented her weekly diatribe against her cause of the week. She was to the point, sarcastic when necessary, and absolutely brutal with her honesty, taking no prisoners. So, I was really surprised when her entire hour, unless I missed it on a 'necessary run', did not mention the Scotus decision on homosexual marriage. Ignoring one of the most momentous decisions by the court that seeks to transform our nation and human history, Janine was silent as a lamb. We heard about the bogus...

On Friday, shortly after the Gaypocolypse began raining down on the media landscape like an ELE comet strike, I had already begun musing on Twitter about the no longer hypothetical slippery slope which had just opened up. To be sure, we’ve had more than a few discussions of slippery slope items in years past which were little more than hyperbole in the real world. But then, the “real world” has been changing rather rapidly in the past few years and I’ve had to take a fresh look at some items which I’d previously written off as straw men, but have...

This week’s Supreme Court decision in regard to legitimacy of homosexual marriage just well may be illegitimate itself whatever way the Court decides. And because of this very fact, 2016 and its crucial election must include initiatives to institute TERM LIMITS for SCOTUS along with a swift and very definitive process for removal of any member of the U.S. Supreme Court! Just consider the fact that their rabid feminism pushed both Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Elena Kagan to “marry” two same-sex couples though they knew full well they were being called upon to give definitive judgment in the...

Continuing his critique of the Supreme Court’s recent decisions on Obamacare and same-sex marriage, Sen. Ted Cruz said Friday that the rulings mark “some of the darkest 24 hours in our nations history.” Cruz made the comments in an interview on Sean Hannity’s radio show Friday afternoon. “Today is some of the darkest 24 hours in our nation’s history,” Cruz said. “I couldn’t say it more eloquently,” Hannity responded. “Yesterday and today were both naked and shameless judicial activism,” Cruz said. “Neither decision — the decision yesterday rewriting Obamacare for the second time. Six justices joined the Obama administration. You...

Take heart, patriot Americans. In the end, with faith in God, we will prevail over the forces of evil recently manifested in the two Supreme Court decisions. Continue to oppose tyrannical Obamacare and any other government mandates, and do not recognize gay faux marriage. I know that I will not recognize it, and neither will my Church: http://www.pravmir.com/archbishop-demetrios-marriage-is-a-sacred-institu... Work hard to elect constitutional conservatives who hold traditional moral values like Ted Cruz for president. Things may look glum right now with this tyrannical progressive onslaught, supported by most of the media powers, but not nearly so dismal as what General...

On this slender thread does the promise of religious liberty hang. Justice Anthony Kennedy, in his majority opinion in Obergefell that declares same-sex marriage a constitutional right, barely mentions the means by which most Americans conduct their weddings Â— houses of worship. Only on page 27 does Kennedy get around to addressing the connection between church and state, and the assurances in this paragraph are less than compelling, to say the least: Finally, it must be emphasized that religions, and those who adhere to religious doctrines, may continue to advocate with utmost, sincere conviction that, by divine precepts, same-sex marriage...

Amongst other upside-down thinking in the majority decision is this: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/14-556_3204.pdf "A third basis for protecting the right to marry is that it safeguards children and families and thus draws meaning from related rights of childrearing, procreation, and education. See, e.g., Pierce v. Society of Sisters , 268 U. S. 510. Without the recognition, stability, and pre - dictability marriage offers, children suffer the stigma of knowing their families are somehow lesser. They also suffer the significant material costs of being raised by unmarried parents, relegated to a more difficult and uncertain family life. The marriage laws at issue thus...

Republican groups that support same-sex marriage want to send a message to their party's voters and candidates: We are not an anomaly. Two right-leaning groupsÂ—American Unity Fund and Project Right SideÂ—are releasing a poll that they say shows that most voters support gay marriage, and a higher proportion of Republicans support gay marriage than measured before. â€‹The poll surveyed 2,000 registered voters nationally by phone this month, including 798 Republican and lean-Republican voters, along with 500 voters in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. The poll found that 57 percent of all registered voters...

If same-sex marriage comes to America, it will not be because Americans asked for it. In the last 15 years the question was put to the people in nearly every state of the union. Even in liberal states like California, even on ballots in purely democratic primaries, the people voted overwhelmingly to keep the definition of marriage unchanged. Gay activists were confident going into many of these contests because the polls promised them big wins. Yet when people stepped into the ballot box, man-woman marriage won. Polls are one thing. Polling places are another. We live in an age where...

If the view of the “converts” to same-sex marriage and the acceptance of homosexual partnerships is “ultimately destructive to society, to the church, and to relations between men and women,” how can that distance be avoided? The reality is that it cannot. This is a moment of decision, and every evangelical believer, congregation, denomination, and institution will have to answer. There will be no place to hide. The forces driving this revolution in morality will not allow evasion or equivocation. Every pastor, every church, and every Christian organization will soon be forced to declare an allegiance to the Scriptures and...

Great news about one of my favorite Republican governors, Mary Fallin.Excerpt: If the U.S. Supreme Court decides to overturn the millennia-long definition of marriage, Oklahoma clergy will not have to be concerned that they will be forced to perform such ceremonies.On May 1, Governor Mary Fallin signed a law that would allow ministers to exercise their religious beliefs on marriage and decline to â€śwedâ€ť same-sex couples.Governor Fallinâ€™s office said in a press release that H.B. 1007 is â€śa bill protecting religious leaders from being compelled to perform marriages that are in direct contradiction to their religious beliefs.â€ťThe law says that...

One of the newly announced South Carolina co-chairs for Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-TX) presidential campaign previously argued that the Utah judge who overturned the state's gay marriage ban should be impeached. That co-chair is state Sen. Lee Bright (R), who challenged Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in the 2014 Republican primary. Bright, in 2014, griped about federal judges being "absolutely out of control on so many different fronts" and went on to suggest that U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby, the judge who struck down Utah's ban on same-sex marriage, should be impeached. In April, Cruz was hosted by a pair of...

Our friend Quin Hillyer posted an interesting article in National Review in which he parsed at some length the past opinions of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, the perceived “swing vote” on the same-sex ‘marriage’ case argued before the Court yesterday. Many conservatives have been pessimistic about the prospects of the preservation of federalism and the power of states to regulate marriage, and Hillyer acknowledges Kennedy’s paeans to “personhood and dignity,” and “reviewing his long history of rulings that consistently expanded the rights of homosexuals at every opportunity, many observers consider it a foregone conclusion that his decision in the...

Even if the Supreme Court rules for gay marriage, Cruz proves that much still needs to be done for LGBT rights. Today’s oral arguments in the Supreme Court marriage equality case may or may not be exciting, but the importance of the outcome cannot be overstated. We are witnessing before us one of the greatest expansions of civil rights in decades, and if the high court decides to be part of the future instead of the past, this advance will codify into law the basic human right of marriage for gays and lesbians throughout America. This country has come a...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)Ted Cruz, along with most of the other Republican presidential candidates, actual and potential, appeared at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Summit on Saturday. He decried what he sees as “liberal fascism” that has ensured "there is no room for Christians in today's Democratic Party." Ironically, some people who support LGBT rights are busily making Cruz’s case, albeit inadvertently. Indeed, recently, Hillary Clinton, still the likely Democratic presidential nominee despite the play for pay scandal that is consuming her campaign, recently gave Cruz a boost. As a way of illustration, a recent article in the Daily Beast by Jay Michaelson...

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official cited an “epidemic” of syphilis among homosexual men during an event Thursday by a lobbying group pushing for an increase in federal funding for sexually transmitted disease prevention from $157 million to $212 million. “We’re also seeing what we are calling pretty much an epidemic of syphilis among men who have sex with men – that really started in the early – 2000, 2002, but we’ve seen a dramatic increase since 2008,” Dr. Gail Bolan, director of CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, said at a briefing by the National Coalition of STD...

Citing the Declaration of Independence, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) argued on the House floor yesterday that same-sex couples are endowed by “their Creator—by God” with a right to marry. “Our Declaration of Independence, as all of us quote so often, says: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men’—of course, if Jefferson were writing today, it would be either all people or all humankind—‘are created equal, that they are endowed by’—not a Congress, not by a Constitution, not by a will of the majority—‘their Creator’—by God—‘with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and...

The successful shutting down (or at least shutting up) of non-groupthink-compliant wedding cake and floral businesses has given gay-marriage agitators and their backers a taste of the vast power of ideological extortion in 2015 America. I’m optimistic that the law will eventually come to its senses and give wide berth to Christians in the wedding trades, or even to non-Christian libertarians who simply don’t want to be told who they have to do business with. Perhaps James O’Keefe will covertly record owners of a black-owned florist shop being asked to create an arrangement for a “KKK” event, or a Muslim-owned...

The U.S. Catholic bishops could take a lesson from Mormon leaders on how to deal with religious liberty and gay rights. The Mormons have been strong allies of the Catholic bishops in the fight against gay marriage and the protection of religious freedom. But when the Mormons saw they were on the losing side in this fight, they were willing to compromise to protect what they considered essential. Like the Catholic church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints respects tradition and does not change teaching easily. But Mormons do have a pragmatic side. With the entire nation aligned...

Dear Editor: Your recent editorial on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (that has apparently been tossed in the closet for this legislative session) brought out some interesting points. I agree that a major problem in our society is the cheapening of the sexual relationship. God originally meant it to be shared as part of the exclusive bond between a husband and his wife, not reduced to the almost animalistic way it has become portrayed in the media, and now lived out in some circles. We are really reaping the rotten fruit of the “sexual revolution” of the 1960s and following...

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was in Iowa yesterday, where the presidential hopeful reflected on the possibility of a Supreme Court ruling endorsing marriage equality. The far-right senator told his audience, “The first thing and I think the most important thing every one of us can do, is pray. Lift up in prayer.” But as the Dallas Morning News noted, that’s not all Cruz said. He reiterated his vow to press for a constitutional amendment that would clarify the power of state legislatures to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. If the high court does legalize...

If the Supreme Court decides that there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, will that signal the end of social conservatism? People have long predicted the end of the religious right and, increasingly, even the demise of “white Christian America.” These obituaries typically prove premature. First, why assume a loss at the Supreme Court will end the religious right’s reason for existence? Organized social conservatism was built from such defeats, including high court rulings against school prayer and legalizing abortion. The school prayer decision will turn 53 in June. Roe v. Wade turned 42 in January. Neither of those...

A man I know was a top executive at a major American media company, one of the biggest and most influential in the world. A young man came into his office one day asking to display a rainbow sticker with the words “safe space.” This was a decade ago and this man, a faithful Catholic, felt confident he could demur without reprisal though he could see the veiled threat of being “outed” as less than gay friendly, as a homophobe.But, in these post-Brendan Eich days, it is doubtful my friend would feel as safe to say no because things...

The founder and president of a coalition of black pastors has called upon U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan to recuse themselves from the same-sex marriage case that is currently before the high court. In a recent press release, Rev. William Owens of the Coalition of African-American Pastors (CAAP) cited Ginsburg’s and Kagan’s “stated bias” as reason to recuse themselves in order to preserve the integrity of the court. Owens and his organization have launched a petition to bring attention to the alleged “lack of impartiality” on the part of the two justices. In February, Ginsburg,...

In a wide-ranging, at points jaw-dropping interview with Aleteia, Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle of Accra, Ghana, signaled his openness to finding a way for remarried Catholics to be readmitted to Communion--and suggested the church might reinterpret Scripture to allow the "unbinding" of marriages. Palmer-Buckle, who is sixty-four years old, was selected by his brother bishops to represent Ghana at this October's Synod on the Family. Early in the interview, the archbishop makes it clear that he takes seriously Pope Francis's call for open discussion of the challenges facing Catholic families today. "There are people in polygamous relationships, who were involved in...

So clever of BuzzFeed to drop this today, with Bush set to sit down with Sean Hannity onstage at CPAC in 24 hours for Q&A. Think this story might come up? Think it’ll be talked about tonight at the local bars among conservatives already suspicious of Jeb’s ideological leanings? There’s more evidence here than I can fairly excerpt of how strongly Bush’s top advisors feel about this issue, so you’ll have to read the whole thing. Here’s the key bit, though: But inside Bush’s orbit, some believe his personal feelings on the subject may have evolved beyond his on-the-record statements....

Rob Bell is a progressive former mega-church pastor. He is also a heretic who, since giving up the mega-church pastoring gig, has been hanging out with the likes of Oprah Winfrey. Bell was part of the emergent church, which engaged in “conversations” and rejected historic Christianity. While the emergents like to pretend they’re new, hip and cool, the reality is they’re no different than the other progressive churches out there which have rejected historic Christianity. The difference between the emergent church and the pentecostal or baptist churches is only how they demonstrate their rejection of historic Christianity. Rather than rolling...

America’s morality evolves constantly — and the rapid acceptance of same-sex marriage is a stunning example. Only a few years ago, the notion seemed unthinkable. During the 2008 presidential campaign, all candidates opposed it. Democrat Barack Obama declared then: “I am not in favor of gay marriage.” The 2012 Republican national platform called homosexual wedlock “an assault on the foundations of our society,” and demanded a constitutional amendment to outlaw it. However, morality turned upside-down swiftly. The tide for marriage equality rolled like a tsunami. Alabama just became the 37th state to legalize it. West Virginia stands among “yes” states....

Since the U.S. Supreme Court rejected hearing Alabama’s appeal on gay marriage earlier this week, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has taken the firmest stance of all potential Republican presidential candidate on the issue. Cruz introduced the State Marriage Defense Act just two days after the high court’s decision, which would allow states to decide on how to define marriage, rather than federal judges. While Republicans have long been the party supporting only traditional marriage, media reports have recently stressed how slow likely Republican 2016 presidential have been to speak out on the Alabama matter. The Supreme Court opted not to...

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is calling on his colleagues to pass a bill that would make same sex marriage a state issue. Cruz, along with 11 other Republican senators, re-introduced the State Marriage Defense Act on Tuesday, which aims to allow states to adopt their own definitions of marriage and would block the federal government from applying its own definition of marriage onto states. “Even though the Supreme Court made clear in United States v. Windsor that the federal government should defer to state ‘choices about who may be married,’ the Obama Administration has disregarded state marriage laws enacted by...

If there was any doubt left, Justice Clarence Thomas ended it on Monday morning. The United States Supreme Court will end discrimination against same-sex couples this June — and even justices who oppose the coming decision appear to know it’s going to happen. On Monday morning, Justice Clarence Thomas made explicit what had been growing apparent to observers for months: The court — at least a majority of the justices — has made up its mind on the issue of whether the U.S. Constitution bars states from treating same-sex couples differently than opposite-sex couples in marriage laws. In denying the...

Ted Cruz claims to be a “constitutionalist,” but expects us to believe that the issue of gay marriage should be left to “debate…in the legislative chambers.” In response to President Barack Obama’s comments about gay marriage in the State of the union, the Texas senator said: I think the proper place to debate those issues is in the legislative chambers. I’m a constitutionalist…From the beginning of this country, marriage has been a question of the states, and we should not have the federal government, or unelected judges, setting aside the policy judgment of the elected legislatures and imposing their own...

GOP presidential hopeful Ben Carson reportedly slammed lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights advocates at a Jan. 24 press conference following his speech at Congressman Steve King's Iowa Freedom Summit. Carson, a Fox News commentator and former Johns Hopkins University pediatric neurosurgeon, seemed to hint at a series of disputes that have erupted between same-sex couples hoping to tie the knot and bakeries and other wedding-related venues operated by opponents of same-sex marriage. "What I have a problem with is when people try to force people to act against their beliefs because they say, 'They’re discriminating against me,’" he...

After oral arguments about Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas’ bans on marriages for same-sex couples, the 5th Circuit of Appeals looks likely to strike the laws down. NEW ORLEANS — After three hours of arguments, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals appeared poised to strike down bans on same-sex couples’ marriages in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas — joining all but one of the other appellate courts to consider the issue. If the court upholds the lower court decisions striking down the Mississippi and Texas bans and reverses the trial court decision upholding Louisiana’s ban, it could have the effect of bringing...

There has been no dearth of news stories, reports, and commentary over the past few months on the epidemic of racists, whether in law enforcement or the general population, either inflicting or attempting to inflict, punishment on African Americans for being African Americans. As noted here on Tuesday, “there are certain groups who are adamant that as superior human beings they have authority to mete out punishment for violations of their beliefs that are usually borne of religion.” Despite protections in the U.S. Constitution and federal and state laws, the past six years have seen an increase in religious fundamentalists...

JACKSON, Miss. — A federal judge has overturned Mississippi's ban on same-sex marriage, but he is putting his order on hold for two weeks so the state can appeal. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday. State attorneys have already said they will ask the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to block Reeves' order....

Add Procter & Gamble to the ever-growing list of companies to openly support marriage equality. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Ohio-based consumer products giant has taken a public stand on same-sex marriage in what P&G's Chief Global Diversity Officer William Gipson describes as "statement of support for our employees." Added Chief Legal Officer Deborah P. Majoras: "We have always supported our employees and fostered a culture of inclusion and respect -- this includes the right to marry whomever they choose and to have that union legally recognized." This is the first time that P&G has gone on the record...

The marriage issue didn’t play a major role in the 2014 midterms, but activist courts overturning state laws and lawsuits threatening the rights of those who disagree with redefining marriage may very well make the issue a top one in 2016. Since 1998 and across the early 2000s, millions of Americans voted at the state level to define marriage as the union of a man and woman and more than 38 states have such laws on their books today. Yet with state and district courts overturning those laws across the country and the Supreme Court punting on the issue earlier...

The ruling on Thursday by the 6th United States Circuit Court of Appeals warns of changing the biological definition of marriage and thus opening the door to polygamy. The Denver Post reported, Breaking ranks with other federal courts around the country, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that states have the right to set rules for marriage and that changing a definition that dates to "the earliest days of human history" is better done through the political process, not the courts. "Surely the people should receive some deference in deciding when the time is ripe to move...

Evan Wolfson and Ted Olson aren't pleased with the Supreme Court's decision not to make marriage equality the law of the land, but they're ready to keep fighting. In the heat of the civil-rights fight, when told he shouldn't push too hard for racial equality because of political backlash, Lyndon Johnson famously shot back, "What the hell's the presidency for?" Ted Olson had a similar question for the Supreme Court Wednesday, pondering why the justices had opted not to take a single case on same-sex marriage this term. "I agonize over the court not making a decision," said Olson, an...

A ‘Christian’ wedding chapel—a private business—in Idaho is suing for the right not to marry gay couples. There is no such right. Yet.The first thing you need to know is that most “wedding chapels” are not actually chapels. They are private businesses, sometimes run by ordained ministers who are thus licensed to perform marriage ceremonies, but just as often run by Elvis impersonators. Thus, the question of how marriage-equality laws apply to private wedding chapels is ostensibly a question of under what circumstances the government can lawfully step on a for-profit company’s blue suede shoes. Ground zero for this debate...

On Tuesday, a federal judge in Puerto Rico bucked the trend towards marriage equality, upholding a ban on same-sex marriage. The commonwealth romantically defined marriage in a 1999 law as a “civil contract whereby a man and woman mutually agree to become husband and wife.” “Because no right to same-gender marriage emanates from the Constitution, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico should not be compelled to recognize such unions,” U.S. District Judge Juan Perez-Gimenez wrote in his opinion, which will now move to a federal appeals court. Adding his own two cents, Perez-Giminez concluded: “Traditional marriage is the fundamental unit of...

American attitudes to gay marriage have been turned on their head in the space of a single generation. After a US Supreme Court decision this month, 30 of America’s 50 states will have gay marriage laws, which is testament to the sudden shift in attitudes towards same-sex unions in the US. Two decades ago barely a quarter of Americans believed members of the LGBT community should enjoy equal marriage rights; now nearly two-thirds accept gay marriage. This quantum leap cannot be explained by what sociologists call generational shift – that is older, conservative folk dying off and younger, more liberal...